Career Planning: Essential Life Skill for the 21st Century

Most people spend more time planning their vacations than
their careers and lives. How about you? How much time and energy have you
invested in figuring out what type of work best uses your skills and interests?
Which careers that fit you have growth potential in this economy? Which career
path would give you a deep sense of satisfaction and purpose? And, most
importantly, what God has put you on earth to accomplish?

The world of work has changed dramatically in the last
decade, and the changes have accelerated since 2008. Career planning used to be
a matter of getting an education, finding a job in a good company, showing up
for work each day, and eventually retiring to a nice pension. For most people,
those days are gone forever.

Why Periodic
Career Planning is Necessary

The job market of the 21st century offers more
options and flexibility than that of the 20th century, but its
volatility also requires that you become more resourceful, adaptable and
pro-active. Today's status quo can quickly become obsolete. Learning how to do
good career planning, therefore, is now an essential life skill for those who
want to be engaged in their work, earn a good salary, and finish their lives
with a sense of satisfaction, and not regret.

Career planning is something you should do on a regular
basis. The work world continues to change at a fast pace, and God is at work
making changes within you. Take time at least once a year to do an "annual
review." During that time, take a look
at where you have been heading and what you have accomplished, re-assess your
skills, interests, values, passions, etc. to see how they might be better
utilized in your work and life, invest time in reflecting on and praying about
what God would have you do with the next "chapter" of your life, and evaluate
if you need to make any changes in the direction you have been heading.

Issues Career Planning
Can Help You Resolve

There are times in life when doing career planning on your
own is sufficient. There are other times, however, when working with a
professional career counselor/coach will be the best investment you ever make. Good
career planning can help you if you:

- Are
successful in your work, but feel like your work lacks purpose and meaning;

- Sense
God is calling you in a different direction, but don't know how to clarify His
leading;

- Feel
like the "real you" doesn't get to come out at work, and long for work that
fits you well;

- Think
there are probably many more career options than those of which you are aware,
but don't know how to find the one that fits you best.

All of these issues can be addressed and resolved through quality
career testing and systematic, comprehensive career planning. You don't have to
feel lost, distressed, bored, underemployed, frustrated, or hopeless. The
starting place is determining that you are ready and willing to take steps to
change your life!

Tips for
Successful Career Planning

1. Chart your career
path up to the present. List the jobs you have held, and take some time to
reflect on each of them. Ask yourself questions such as: How did I get into
that job? How long did I stay in it? Why? What did I like about it? What did I
dislike?

Do you see any patterns in your choices and evaluations? How
do you feel about your career path to date? Are there any things that you would
have done differently? These observations can help you to appreciate good
decisions you have made as well as help you make better choices in the future.

2. Reflect on what motivates you now.
As human beings, we grow and develop. As Christians, God is at work in our
lives, as well, maturing us into the image of His Son, Jesus. Bottom line,
while many things about how God has designed us stay the same, we continue to
change in various ways throughout our lives. For example, many people in
midlife feel called to do something that "makes a difference," no longer
content just to make a living. For some, there may be particular issues or
needs they feel drawn to address. For others, they know they want to do
something more meaningful, but a central part of their career planning work is
figuring out how God wants to use them in the second half of their lives.

Professional career testing can be a great way to expedite
the process of identifying the key "puzzle pieces" of your design, the central
themes in who God has created you to be (instead of just knowing random pieces
of information about your design), and the needs that you are motivated to
meet.

3. Identify the transferable skills you
enjoy using. Think about your career history in terms of the transferable
skills you have developed instead of the job titles you have held. Looking at
yourself solely in terms of job titles restricts your thinking about other
career options. You are not limited to similar job titles or career fields!
When you look, instead, at your individual transferable skills (such as "plan,"
"teach," "calculate," "persuade") and the skill clusters that you most enjoy,
you can more readily research and recognize other career paths that could be a
good fit.

4. Look at current career and job trends. In a rapidly changing job
market, having up to date information about labor market trends is very
important. Seeing where job growth is expected in fields that interest you can
help you make better career decisions. Resources such as the Occupational
Outlook Handbook and the O*NET database are useful once you have a thorough
understanding of your God-given design. (Otherwise, they can be overwhelming to
use.)

5. Set goals for your career and develop
a "do-able" action plan to achieve them. Without a plan, things seldom
change for the better. Without working your plan, things seldom change for the
better. It's been said that insanity is doing the same things over and over,
while expecting a different result. So what are your career goals? Here are some
possible ones to think about:

-
Determine how I can grow in my current job, or
find a better-fitting job in my current company.

-
Figure out what type of work fits me best.

-
Identify career options in my current field that
have the best growth potential.

-
Learn and use more successful job search
strategies for finding a new position.

-
Discern what God is calling me to do with my
life.

If you are
not sure how best to proceed with your career planning, consider taking
advantage of our professional career coaching and career testing
services. Many people have found that professional assistance is invaluable in
making the best career decisions and experiencing the most job satisfaction. If
you would like to discuss how professional career coaching can help you, sign up for a free consultation
session
today!